By Steve Rhodes
“Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s office said Monday that a Chicago Sun-Times report that the Illinois Democrat got free upgrades on a Chicago townhome from convicted political fixer Tony Rezko was ‘false’ and ‘inaccurate,'” Politico reports.
“‘The Chicago Sun-Times ran with a story that is false,’ Gutierrez spokesman Doug Rivlin said in a statement. ‘As we made clear to the Sun-Times, Congressman Gutierrez never asked for nor received any free upgrades to his home and certainly never told anyone he did. It is unfortunate the Sun-Times chose to run a story that is entirely inaccurate.”
Like many others, I received this e-mail from Rivlin on Monday:
“I noticed you carried a link to the Sun-Times story on Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez this morning. In case you or your bloggers are interested, here is a brief statement we put out.
The Chicago Sun-Times ran with a story that is false. As we made clear to the Sun-Times, Congressman Gutierrez never asked for nor received any free upgrades to his home, and certainly never told anyone he did. It is unfortunate the Sun-Times chose to run a story that is entirely inaccurate.
Of course, that position was already reflected in the Sun-Times piece, which included this passage:
“Gutierrez was in Puerto Rico last week. Through his Washington congressional office spokesman, Douglas Rivlin, he declined to answer questions about his FBI interview.
“But Rivlin said: ‘The congressman never received any free ‘upgrades’ – or anything else for free – on his home at River Walk, and certainly never told anyone that he did. Any report that he did is completely false.'”
The Sun-Times also contacted the lawyer who accompanied Gutierrez to his FBI interview:
“Gutierrez was accompanied to the 2008 FBI interview by defense lawyer Michael Deutsch of the People’s Law Office.
“‘I’m not going to go into what was discussed or why,’ said Deutsch, who said his office has done work with the Puerto Rican community and that Gutierrez has been a ‘good supporter’ of that effort.”
The Sun-Times story was reported by Natasha Korecki, who is one of the city’s best and who seems to have impeccable sources in and around the federal courthouse.
I’m inclined to believe her over a congressman who refused to answer her questions.
Zwecker’s People
One of them is Alexi Giannoulias. In The Keith-O Chronicles.
Burge Sentencing Postponed
But why?
FOIA Finger
“The Illinois Press Association informs CJP that the Illinois House Democrats will once again revive House Bill #5154 and try to pass it during the veto session that starts next week,” Tracy Siska of the Chicago Justice Project writes. “This bill provides a blanket exemption that prohibits access to evaluations for all public employees, including prosecutors and police officers. During the 2010 election year this bill did not leave the house because politicians were worried about public backlash regarding serious attacks on the new FOIA. Now when little attention is focused on Springfield the bill is being revived!”
You can read CJP’s issue brief here.
How Comedy Is Written
An e-mail exchange.
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TIM: “Passengers will no longer be allowed to fly with toner cartridges weighing more than a pound”
I assume that FedExing toner will continue to be just fine . . . But, hey, we’re Doing Something!
ME: You also cannot fly with underwear weighing more than 3 ounces or shoes weighing more than a half-pound.
HP: Our toners weigh less
Carry-on inkjets will be just fine, though . . .
TIM: “Explosives weighing more than one pound are not permitted.”
ME: Ding ding ding! We have a winner.
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Letter To The Editor
From The Task Force To Oppose Gambling In Chicago:
Forces are again at work to bring a casino to Chicago with 4,000 gambling positions and three other locations for 3,600 positions. Wait there is more – the proposed bill would allow 6,300 gambling machines at Illinois’ six horse tracks. And there is even more: 800 more gambling positions at existing and new casinos for a total of 10,400 more gambling positions. Finally, the state in the midst of a budget emergency, would allocate money to County Fairs to conduct wagering on horse racing and all riverboats may become land-based casinos.
Wow, that’s a lot of gambling. Considering the gambling public lost on average $102 per person in October, that’s a lot of money lost to the gambling bosses. Money that was lost from college funds, mortgage or rent payments and food for the family funds.
These gambling efforts are led by a former legislator who is now a lobbyist. But, the gamblers are also trying to reinvent the norms of society to accommodate more gambling in an over saturated market.
Chicago has consistently made it known through public opinion mechanisms they do not want casinos in the city. At the same time, gambling interests want to legalize more than 15,000 video poker machines in the city. What do they want – total gambling slaves of the people living and visiting in Chicago?
Let’s hope that cooler heads will prevail. Chicago is a fine world class city without gambling in our city limits. Let’s keep it that way and work to support our fine sports teams, putting kids through school instead of worrying about “the Man” collecting his winnings.
Sincerely,
Doug Dobmeyer
Spokesperson
The Task Force to Oppose Casino Gambling in Chicago has existed for twenty years opposing every attempt to bring casino gambling to this city.
Members of the Task Force include:
St. Sabina’s Catholic Church
First United Methodist Church (Chicago Temple)
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems
Community Renewal Society
Protestants for the Common Good
Jeannie Evans, attorney and Public Affairs Representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Americans for Democratic Action
United Methodist Church
Epiphany UCC Church
Community Renewal Society
Anti-Gambling Task Force United Methodist Church Northern Illinois
League of Women Voters of Chicago
David Orr, Cook County Clerk
Better Government Association
Voices for Illinois Children
Purple To The People!
7-11 and the president’s Slurpee fixation.
A Glove Affair
We now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Peanut.
Poet vs. Doctor
In Chicagoetry.
Trivial Pursuit
Now with new fun facts about Kanye West, Kurtis Blow, The Spinners, Axl Rose, Iggy Pop, Van Morrison, George Harrison, Donna Summer and more!
Bartender Journalism
Thanks to the longtime readers and new friends who came out to Beachwood Monday Night and helped save a relatively slow night. Good times were had by all.
I’ll be back behind the bar briefly tonight from about 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. while the rest of the bar staff is in a meeting to which I am not invited. Maybe they don’t like the way I mix my Sea Breezes.
Bob is back, pool is free and a new winter Bell’s ale is in stock.
Document Destruction!
In my favorite inbox e-mail from Monday, Ald. Joe Moreno announced the 1st Ward Shred-a-Thon, an exercise in Document Destruction.
I wonder if the other aldermen are invited, too.
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Actually, this kinda sounds like fun:
“Tomorrow, during my regular Ward Night hours, from 5 to 8 p.m. you’ll be able to shred and safely dispose of any documents.
“This service is free for residents of the ward.
“The shredding and destruction of documents is a way to protect from any threat of identity theft and it’s good for the environment.
“If you can’t make it tomorrow, we now have a security cabinet at my office where one can deposit their private documents for eventual destruction.
“Parking will be easy too, since our neighbors, Red Hot Ranch and John’s Pizzeria have kindly offered to let us make use of their parking lot for tomorrow.”
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Search and destroy.
Posted on November 9, 2010